Folding chair with independent and automatic seat fold



July 15, 1958 v, SPENCER 2,843,186

FOLDING CHAIR WITH INDEPENDENT AND AUTOMATIC SEAT FOLD Filed May 16, 1956 INVENTOR Gerald I: streamer BY fimddwg ATTORNEY Ce 2,843d86 Patented July 15, 1958 United States Patent 10 connected by a bight portion 11 in which is secured a back support panel 12, a pair of forwardly-upwardly 2,843,186 extending tubular metal rear legs 13 having their upper m ends hingedly connected at 14 to the front legs 10, and a FOLDINGENK AND seat 15 pivotally mounted between the front legs for swinging movement between a fully lowered use position Gerald V. Spencer, Grand Rapids, Mich assignor to indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 and a fully raised Amei'imili Sealing p y, Grand i Mififh, a non-use position indicated by broken lines in Figure l mammal! of New Jersey T e seat is pivotally mounted for such swinging move- A 35 m, M 16 1956 S l 4 10 ment on an upper front tie-rod 16 which connects the pp u {M3 Ne front legs 10 at the approximate seat level of the chair.

3 clmms- F A lower front tie-rod 17 also connects the front legs ltl of the chair below the seat level thereof, and the chair is strengthened by an inverted U-shaped strut 18 of rod The present invention relates to folding chairs and more stock which has its lower ends secured to the front legs particularly to steel folding chairs of the inverted Y-type. Ill and its upper middle portion secured as by welding to The primary objects of the invention are to provide a the lower tie-rod 17.

folding chair of the type indicated in which, when the An upper rear tie-rod 19 connects the ch permitting the chair occupant to rise and stand rearwardly ends for additionally strengthening the chair. Seat stiles to facilltate ingress and egress of other persons passm" 21 secured to opposite sides of the seat 15 as by means 111 front of him between rows of such chairs; to provid of rivets 22, extend rearwardly of the seat and are proe upper rear storage with the rear legs thereof lying alongside the front tie-rod 19 to silently stop the lowering movement of the legs and with the seat positioned between the front legs, seat when it reaches its lowered use position.

and which operating rod can be lowered to unfold he A bracket 24 is secured as by welding to the underside chair for use, to provide such a folding chair in which of the seat In at one side thereof, said bracket 24 having when the chair is unoccupied, the seat automatically a depending arm 25. A helical spring 26 has its upper with the interconnecting means for the operating rods its ully raised non-use position indicated 111 broken lines serving as a handle or handles by means of which the when the occupant rises and stands rearwardly to permit folded section of chairs can be carried; and in general to others to pass in front of him.

provide such a folding chair which is sturdy in construc- A pair of arms 27 are pivotally connected as by means thence forwardly-downwardly and terminating at points arms 27 at points thereon between the adjacent front and normal unoccupied position in full lines, in its lowered rear legs.

position of use in dotted lines and in its fully raised non- An operating rod 31 connects the forward ends of arms use position in broken lines; 27 beneath the seat 15. It will readily be seen that when Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the chair in parthe various parts of the chair are in their unfolded use tially folded condition; positions seen in full lines in Figure 1, lifting movement Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the chair in fully of the operating rod 31 transmitted through arms 2'7 and folded condition for storage; links 29 will swing the rear legs 13 to folded positions Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a alongside the front legs 10. During the latter part of this pair of the chairs secured together in side-by-side relation lif ing m v m n f h p r ing ro 1 i ir ly an to form a Z-chair section; tacts the underside of seat 15, moving the seat to its fully Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional folded position between the front legs of the chair. The d f t i parts of th h i t k on li 5 5 f chair is shown partly folded in Figure 2 and fully folded in igure 4; and Figure 3. When the operating rod 31 is lowered to again Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of llllfOld the chair, the front legs and Tear legs are Spread ertain parts of adjoining connected chairs taken on line apart and the Seat is again permitted to py its P -6 of Figure 4, the plane of section being also indicated n Shown in full lines in Figure L y line 6-6 of Figure 2. Figures 1, 4 and 6 illustrate the manner in which two Referring now in detail to this drawing wherein like identical chairs can be secured together in side-by-side a t are designa d b th same numerals i h several relation. Upper front clamps 32 and lower front clamps to ew th ha th shown generally campuses an i 33 secure the adjacent front legs lib of adjoining chairs :rted U-shaped tubular metal front frame forming a g h r, an r ar lamps 3? connect th e adjacent rear Lll' of spaced rearwardly-upwardly extending front legs 23 of the adjoining chairs. Prior to applying these clamps, a connecting pin 35 has its reduced opposite end portions 36 fitted into sockets 37 extending through arms 27 and into the operating rods 31 of the adjoining chairs, the operating rods being desirably tubular to this end. By this means the two chairs may be folded simultaneouslyby lifting the connecting pin'35 and, after folding, the connecting pin 35 serves as a handle by means of which the connected chairs can be carried.

it will thus be seen that the invention provides an efficient folding chair in which the seat is independently movable between a lowered use position and a raised nonuse position and in which the seat, when unoccupied, automatically assumes a tilted position intermediate its raised and lowered positions, and thatthe invention provides'quickly attachable and detachable means for coupling together two or more chairs to form a section of chairs.

While but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of'the invention as the same is defined by the following'claims.

I claim:

1. In a'folding chair: a pair of spacedfront legs; a pair of spaced rear legs having their upperends hingedly connected to the front legs; a seat pivotally mounted between the front legs for swingingrnovement between a lowered position of use and a-raised position of non-use; a pair of arms pivotally connected to the rear legs and extending forwardly beyond the seats pivotal connections with the front legs and terminating at points beneath the seat in the latters lowered position; a pair of links having their forward ends pivotally connected to the front legs and their rearward ends pivotally connected to said arms at points between the adjacent front and rear legs; and an operating rod connecting the forward-ends of said arms, whereby liftingtmovement of the operating rod swings the rear legs to folded positions alongside the front legs and the seat upwardly to a folded non-use position, and whereby lowering movement of the operating rod unfolds the chair legsand permits swinging movement of the seat between its raised non-.use-iposition and its lowered use position.

2. Aipairtof folding chairs according to claim 1 secured together in side-by-side relation characterized vby having sockets extending through the armsiand intothe operating v4 rods, and a handle having its opposite ends fitted into the adjacent sockets of the two chairs whereby the chairs may be folded and unfolded simultaneously and by means of which handle the connected chairs may be carried when folded,

3. In a folding chair: a pair of spaced front legs; a pair of spaced rear legs having their upper ends hingedly connected to the front legs; a front tie-rod connecting the front legs and a rear tie-rod connecting the rear legs, both of said tie-rods being located at the approximate seat level of the chair; a seat pivotally mounted on the front tie-rod for swinging movement between a lowered position of use and a raised position of non-use; stops on the rear of the seat adapted to contact the rear tie-rod to limit the lowering movement of the seat to its position of use; a pair of arms pivotally connected to the rear legs and extending forwardly therefrom over the front tie-rod and thence forwardly-downwardly and terminating atpoints beneath the seat in the latters lowered position; a pair of links having their forward ends pivotally connected to the front tie-rod and their rearward ends pivotally connected to said arms at points between the adjacent front and rear legs; and an operating rod connecting the forward ends of said arms, whereby lifting movement of the operating rod swings the rear legs to folded positions alongside the front legs and swings the scat upwardly to a folded non-use position, and whereby lowering movement of the operating rod unfolds the chair legs andper-mits swinging movement of the seat between its raised non-use position and its lowered use position; a second front'tie-rod connecting the front legs below the seat level; and a spring connected to said second front tie-rod and to theseat at a point below the first front tie-rod'on which the seat is pivoted, whereby the seat is normally biased toward a position intermediate its raisedand'lowered positions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED .STATES PATENTS 1,721,294 Dean July 116, 1929 1,934,396 Bales Nov. 7, 1933 2,091,660 Boogaard Aug. 31, .1937 2,164,116 Lincoln June 27, 1939 2,211,289 Orton Aug. 13, 1940 2,620,019 Merrill et al. Dec. .2, .1952 2,729,275 Morgan et al. 'I an. 3, 1956 

